Alora
by Darkfirelight
Summary: When Clark destroys his ship he is not the only one affected; Now Chloe must handle learning that she was adopted and cope with the history of her family, all the while adapting to abilities beyond her imagining.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.

Summary: When Clark destroys his ship he is not the only one affected; Now Chloe must handle learning that she was adopted and cope with the history of her family, all the while adapting to abilities beyond her imagining.

* * *

Chloe Sullivan was adopted.

The revelation left her numb, staring at her father in shock. The sudden reveal wasn't the man's choice; He would much have preferred to keep it a secret for the rest of the young girl's life.

It hadn't come about suddenly, as though a light bulb had switched on and he had realized that she needed to know the truth, no; Gabe Sullivan had been perfectly content to keep the entire thing hidden 'till his dying day, however he didn't have that choice anymore.

The blonde had gone to the Kent farm with the idea that she would chew out Clark Kent, her best friend, for keeping his relationship with Lana Lang a secret. Upon leaving, however, she had been caught in an electromagnetic wave that had sent her car careening into one of the small ditches by the side of the road. That hadn't been what led Gabe Sullivan to tell her the truth though; That had been made for him with her next revelation.

Chloe wasn't hurt by the impact; Her bright red VW Beetle had slid into one of the wooden posts around the Kent farmhouse, toppled end-over-end through the air and across the muddy grass before finally sliding down a small bank into the ditch. The blonde had been pelted by glass shards from the windscreen after hitting the post, she had been hit by the broken off dashboard and she had hit her head repeatedly on the metal roof, and even with the leather covering she should have at least had a concussion.

She had been injured in the past, so she couldn't understand why she wasn't now. And then she had thrown her door clear of the car by about 30 feet.

Gabe Sullivan hadn't known that at the time, and with the Kent family truck having rammed into a power-line further down the road she had been kept busy calling 911 and helping the two unconscious adults clear the car.

It was only later that she realized just what was different from the other times she had been injured; The bracelet her father had given her was broken.

The bracelet, made of a strange metal that she had always assumed to be platinum by his own admission, was undamaged; However the small gleaming blue jewel inset into it had been knocked out of place. The stone made of blue meteor rock.

With the knowledge that the strange things that happened in the town were usually caused by the meteor rock, she had gone to the man personally and asked him where he had gotten the bracelet.

One thing led to another and before long he confessed the truth; He and his wife had found her with it.

Stunned, the teen had listened as her father spoke of her arrival in the meteor shower; How they had found her during the meteor shower in a crystal and how said crystal had mysteriously started glowing and then melted when they got close.

With her mother's illness the two of them had never been able to have children, and the Catholic woman had taken it as a sign. The girl had had no records anywhere but between her lack of a paper-trail and a four-star general for an uncle the issue had been taken care of quickly enough.

"So what are you saying? That I'm some sort of mutant, or- Or an alien?" She finally spoke after a few moment of silence. "You're joking, right? RIGHT?" She stressed, green eyes wide with disbelief.

"Chlo-bear-" Her _adopted _father started, reaching out to her.

The blonde quickly backed away from his hand, shaking her head. "Don't '_Chlo-bear' _me, you just told me that my entire life has been a lie!" She shouted angrily.

"You're still my daughter, Chloe. Both me and Moira knew what we were getting into when we adopted you."

Chloe shook her head hastily once more. "_You knew, __but I didn't_! I threw a car door thirty feet through the air, dad! The car flipped into a ditch and I came out of it without a _scratch!_" She yelled, glaring.

"Chloe," Gabe started, reaching out despite her protests and laying a hand on her shoulder. "Listen to me, Chloe. Blood isn't important; You're still my daughter, powers or no powers, alright?" He consoled, looking her in the eye.

Chloe met his gaze and pulled away. "I just- I need to think, okay?"

She sped off before he could reply, utilizing her new-found speed to her advantage.

* * *

Staring into the operating room, Chloe watched as the doctor's fretted over the Kent's. No news had been given on their condition and with the sudden pulse that had swept through the small town the hospital staff had been working overtime in an attempt to ensure that no-one had been harmed in the few seconds that the power had been off before the emergency generators had kicked in.

She looked to her right at the person standing next to her, his hand's clenched and shaking as he watched the proceedings. "Are you okay?" She queried gently, shelving her own worries for a moment.

Clark jolted slightly as he was shaken from his thoughts by the innocent question. "I'm just fine. My mom's in the ER and my dad's being fretted over for broken ribs but I'm just _great_." He spoke sarcastically, pursing his lips as he looked at her.

"Clark, none of this could've been prevented. It was a freak accident." She tried to comfort him.

If anything her words seemed to agitate him further. "'Freak' accident." He murmured bitterly. "If I'd known they were there... If I'd just thought before I acted."

Chloe grabbed his arm, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Clark, nothing could've helped them, okay? It wasn't anybody's fault."

"It's all my fault..." He whispered under his breathe, so quiet that she could barely hear the words despite their proximity.

"Wha- Clark!" She yelled as he dashed off, turning the corner and entering the room. She looked in and saw that Jonathan was now crouched next to Martha's bed despite the doctor's vocal protests, hand clenching the redhead's own.

She watched Clark walk over, exchanging a few words with his father and receiving a look in return that nearly froze her blood in her veins.

There was such loathing conveyed in that one look that she could barely fathom how he could display such hate to his own son. Next to her she heard an intake of air and realized that at some point Pete had come to stand beside her.

She heard him try speaking, but she was already moving, running down the hall after the other plaid-clad youth, features creased in worry.

Unfortunately she was too late, Clark had already left the ER and disappeared somewhere else. Now more than ever she cursed his strange ability to vanish before they could interact.

"Chloe!" She was drawn back to Earth by Pete's voice and belatedly realized that he was speaking to her. "Listen, I get that you're worried about Clark, but I think it's best if we just leave him alone right now." He said warily.

For a moment she was hurt as she became aware that the look was directed at her and not Clark as she had first thought, but she was suddenly able to fathom just why he could look at her like that.

Hadn't she just earlier discussed spying on Clark with Lionel Luthor? Hadn't she completely ignored any friendship they had in favour of the possibility of a column at the Daily Planet?

She felt sick as she came to the sudden understanding that she had been willing to sell out her _best friend _over a stupid date with another girl. With the sight of the Kent's hospitalized, the realization of her own heritage and the way Clark was feeling right then she remembered all of her subtle prods at his past and adoption, fishing for his secrets, completely ignoring the way he felt about all of it. For a second she stood in his shoes and felt physically nauseous as she thought about all the times that she had hurt him without even thinking about it, and how she would have felt about all of it. How had he forgiven her for it not once, but twice?

Then and there Chloe resolved to be both a better friend and a better person.

"Chloe," Pete seemed to notice the way her thoughts were heading and drew her attention back to him. "I know you think that you can help, but you can't, okay? Just leave it alone, Clark'll be fine."

"...Alright." She agreed, biting her lip as he gave a smile and went back to the Kent's.

For some reason she felt like she was making a mistake, but she quickly shook it off and went back to her place outside the older Kent's room.

* * *

When Chloe found her way back to school the next day she was shocked as she took in the upturned office, the strewn about drawers and the thrown about papers. "Pete, what happened here?" She asked her friend.

The dark-skinned youth shook his head in bewilderment, shrugging. She could see that he knew more than he was letting on, but shelved the thought in favour of turning her full attention back to the messed-up office.

"Who could have done this?" She voiced aloud, staring at him as she did so. "And for what reason?"

"I don't know." He lied, badly. "Have you done something to piss someone off?"

She waited until he was looking away before rolling her eyes. He knew damn well that she had 'Pissed someone off', it came with the territory. "Not badly enough for _this!_" She stressed, looking around the dump that the Torch had become. "In a single day, as well. I know that it wasn't a regular student because I was one of the last people to leave and I locked the door behind me. Only someone with a key could have done this, ergo it was either a member of faculty, or..." She met his gaze with a glare.

"I didn't do it!" He denied, frowning.

"Aha!" She exclaimed triumphantly. "So it was Clark. Why would he trash my office?" She asked him stubbornly.

"I don't know, maybe he was just upset. With his house bein' cordoned off and all maybe he just wanted somewhere to think, maybe he just got angry. I don't know, Chlo'."

"No, no..." She trailed off as she started putting the pieces that she knew together. "Mr and Mrs Kent were in an accident, Mr Kent said something hurtful to Clark and he ran off, the next day I come into the office and it's trashed and you know more about it than you let on. No-one's seen Clark all day."

"Drop it, Chlo," Pete tried urgently, grimacing at her deductions.

"Clark's ran off, but he was here before. He was looking for something, but what?" She squinted at his guilty face. "What was he looking for Pete?"

"I don't know," He urged, frustrated. "Just drop it, Chlo. Please."

She frowned at his evasiveness but shrugged nonetheless. "...Fine, Pete. Just this once I'll drop it. But where has he gone?"

"I-" He slumped as he seemed to finally admit defeat. "He's gone to Metropolis, alright." He answered.

"Metropolis, but why?" She asked rhetorically, realizing that he wouldn't cooperate any further. Pete left for class before she could start asking him any more questions.

* * *

A week passed without any sign of Clark, and Chloe grew frustrated. His family was practically falling apart, his home had been blown up and the area was suffering power shortages. Were it not for Lionel's surprising donation of emergency power to the small town they would have gone without for a while, save for the hospital and the Luthor mansion. She briefly entertained the thought that maybe he had done it just to keep the 'Peasants' away from his home, and smirked at the thought of the billionaire in an Oliver Twist scenario.

Despite her brief levity, the fact was that she was worried about both the Kent's, and Lana. The brunette hadn't taken well to Clark's leaving and frequented the Talon more often than not these days, the only break being her time sequestered in her room or at school.

She hadn't contacted the eldest Luthor, and he in turn had left her be. She knew that eventually he would stop grieving his son and attempt to contact her and she dreaded that moment, but for now she was just focused on sorting out the Torch, finishing the school year and finding Clark.

She had come to terms with her origins and forgiven her father, knowing that she hadn't been the best daughter in the world and respecting him all the more for putting up with her despite the lack of blood relations. Though these days she couldn't help wondering if perhaps it was what had driven her mother off. The thought haunted her every night before she went to bed.

The only good thing thus far to come out of this week other than making up with her dad was that she had managed to somewhat get a grip on her powers, able to control both her strength and her speed. She still treated everything like it was made out of brittle glass, however. One wrong touch, one brief application of pressure and she could squash a grown man like a grapefruit.

The Kents were terrified that something had happened to their son and she, in an altruistic move that had surprised even her, had taken to scouring Metropolis for any signs of him. She knew that he had taken to frequenting nightclubs, but she couldn't find out where he lived. Until now.

The only thing missing from her office was the red meteor rock class ring she had bought months ago and written an article on. It wasn't too far a stretch to couple that little fact with his attitude when he wore it near the beginning of the school year and come to the conclusion that it affected him, and as such he had stolen it before fleeing to the big city.

She had wanted to give him a week to come home, but the thought of him in a big city like Metropolis, getting high and doing god-knows what had quickly disillusioned her of _that _idea. A week was plenty of time for someone to become an addict and ruin their life.

Which was what led to her situation now, standing outside of, supposedly, his apartment. Another great thing about her powers; Total recall.

Last year she had seen a fellow intern, Jimmy Olsen, pick a lock using a paperclip and if anyone had asked her to replicate the trick she would have been lost; Now, however, she could remember in crystal-clear clarity the way that he had done so. A twist here, with a light push and a click, and...

She stepped through the open door and into the lavish apartment, wide green eyes taking in the sparse yet no less expensive decoration. How the hell could he afford something like this?

Noise drew her sight to one of the side doors, and out came Clark Kent, dressed in full black attire and drying his damp hair with a similarly black towel. He froze when he caught sight of the petite reporter-in-training. "Chloe?" He queried, frowning at her.

"Clark, I-" She started, cut off when he suddenly stepped towards her, looming over her like some brute.

He growled at the blonde, leading her to take a step back in alarm. "Chloe, what the hell are you doing here?"

She was shaken by the hostility in his voice, as well as his language. Never before had she imagined Clark Kent, Kansas-grown farmboy, even _capable _of cussing. "Clark, I came to bring you home." She blurted, swallowing her anxiety.

"Home?" He chuckled, a callous sound that clearly displayed exactly what he thought of that idea. "Why the hell would I want to do that?" He asked her, genuine curiosity in his voice, as though he couldn't even fathom the idea.

"I miss you, so does Lana. And Pete. And your parents are worried sick about you." She pleaded beseechingly.

Clark huffed, throwing the towel onto the floor and stepping over to one of the few pieces of furniture in the room; A small set of drawers. "I doubt it, Chloe. They didn't seem to broken up when I left." He snarked.

The blonde stared at him in shock, blinking. "How can you say that? Clark, you need to come home. I don't know what happened, but they don't blame you for it. They're in danger of losing the farm." She tried to appeal to his conscience.

He faltered mid-step, but quickly regained his composure and kept walking. "Yeah, right. I'm sure they would want their star worker back." He said bitterly.

She stared at him, taking in his defeated posture. If it weren't for the hollow tone of his voice as he said it she might have hit him. As is she could tell that even as he was he didn't believe that.

"Maybe I don't want to go home. I'm quite happy here, actually." He continued cruelly, derailing that train of thought. "Why don't you take a hike, Chlo."

"Damn it, Clark!" She yelled, glaring at him and clenching her fists. "How can you say that? You can't just throw around words like that when you don't mean it. I know it's the ring." She finished.

Abruptly he was in her face so fast that he nearly gave her whiplash. "You know about the ring? Who told you, Pete? Should've known that I couldn't trust him." He snarled, locking his fiery gaze onto her face and then reaching out to push her towards the door. "Get out! And don't tell anyone where I am, or I'll leave and you'll never find me again!"

She stepped backwards in alarm, allowing him a better grip, but pushed back, refusing to be kicked out like that. "Why don't you get your head out of your ass for one minute, Clark? Take that fucking ring off and come home!" She denied him his victory with a violent shove, actively restraining her powers.

"Get lost, Chloe!" He yelled, pushing her harder and grimacing as he did so. "I don't need you here."

She stood her ground, but confusion took hold as she realized that his hold on her was faltering. "Clark?"

"Go... Away." He growled menacingly, but her eyes were drawn away from his contorted expression of fury to his chest, where a deep red hue could be seen through the collar.

"Clark!" She yelped, ushering him back towards the bed as he nearly fell, fear replacing her anger. "Sit down, come on."

By now all resistance had been surrendered by the large youth in favour of feeble groaning, not even a token effort made as she removed his shirt.

Terror overtook her features as she took in the massive scar adorning his chest, a deep red "S" cutting it's way through his entire upper torso in jagged curves of scar tissue. "What the hell?" A gleam caught her eye and she realized that the ring had to have something to do with it.

She grabbed the ring and for just a moment all her worries left her, even her best friend's pain seeming inconsequential. But a groan from said friend quickly drew her back to reality and, with a sharp tug and a grunt, she threw the ruby-gold ring clear out the window, a shatter the only sign of it's departure.

Clark finally stopped his moans of pain, the scar on his chest fading to look as it had before the episode. "Chloe..." He groaned, trying to bat her hands aside as she pushed him down.

"Shh, shh." She gently ran her hands across the tissue, staring at him with a worried smile. "Just- Just rest, Clark. We'll talk later."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.

**Chapter two:**

* * *

Chloe stared down at Clark, taking in his anxious features and the sweat gathered on his skin. For over a week the youth had been missing, apparently living it up in Metropolis; Right now, however, watching his expression contort in his sleep, she couldn't help but wonder if, perhaps, he had been in direr straits than even his parents back home or herself.

She frowned as she glanced around his apartment, vaguely worrying over just how the youngest Kent had managed to obtain the luxurious place. Between the view and the lighting even she could tell that the place wouldn't have come cheap.

"Uuh..." The blonde shifted, lifting Clark's head and smiling down at him. "Chloe, what...?"

"Hey." She replied, stroking stray dark hairs from his face. "Feeling better?"

Abruptly he shot up, eyes widening as he recalled the events that had taken place earlier in the day. "The ring!" He clawed at his hand and darted his gaze desperately around the apartment, searching for something that wasn't there. "Chloe, where's the ring?" He asked her pleadingly.

"I threw it away, Clark." The sheer despair on his face nearly broke her heart, but she persevered, stroking his cheeks tenderly. "I know that you want to hide from whatever happened, but you need to go home."

The dark-haired boy shook his head, not resisting as she pulled him into her lap. "I can't. Not after what happened." He spoke, blue orbs staring down at his bare hands. "I can't tell you what happened, Chloe, but I can't go home."

"You have to." She closed her eyes, sighing. "I get that you're upset, but your parents need you. At least talk to them." She bargained.

He swallowed deeply, clenching and unclenching his fists as he looked down at his dark sheets. "I just... I'm not sure I can. I can't ask them to forgive me. Not after what I did."

She forcefully suppressed the instinctive urge to question him further and instead spoke her opinion. "If what you did is that bad then I think you owe it to them to talk to them. All I know is that they're both worried about you. You need to go home, Clark."

Clark looked up at her, vulnerable in the face of the truth. "...You're right." He conceded. "Thanks, Chloe."

She smiled softly, standing beside him as he rose. "Come on, I'll give you a ride home."

* * *

Standing outside the rebuilt Kent home, Chloe smiled as she heard the Kent matriarch cry out, footsteps loud as she ran toward her son. Despite her usual snark she couldn't help the light smile that played on her lips as she heard Jonathan Kent gruffly greet his son, voice reflecting just how much he had really missed him.

For a moment she just wanted to stay and listen, but she knew that the family would probably want to be alone, so she quickly took off, reversing out of their driveway and heading home.

Driving down the main road directly into Smallville in her bright red VW Beetle, the blonde sighed as she reflected on the past week and a half and all the things that had changed recently. Just ten days ago she had been ready to abandon one of her best friend's to an untrustworthy billionaire out of spite, ready to betray his trust just because of a petty grudge against him for not trusting _her. _Now she had given a family their son back, and was already closer and all the better for it.

Even though she wouldn't be able to get that internship at the Planet without some major effort she couldn't help but be glad about that as opposed to the other way that she would have gotten the job.

The thought that something was amiss didn't cross her mind even as she passed a sleek black BMW parked across the road. Of course, she had no way of knowing that the owner of said car was pulling their phone out, switching their view from the farmhouse up the road to the small red vehicle driving away.

* * *

Chloe lay in front of her notepad, absently crossing out a few lines and correcting some of the spelling. The blonde preferred to hand-write some of the material for the Torch because she never knew when her computer would shut down. Huffing as she swung her legs lazily through the air behind her, she put down the notepad and looked up at the television, briefly admiring the special effects on screen as she did so.

Standing from her place, she walked over to her door, pulling it open and making her way to the bathroom. She froze as she heard voices from downstairs, silently shuffling over to the banister at the top of the stairs, the petite girl listened in on the conversation taking place. "No, no I haven't- NO! I was not aware of that. I- Yes Mr. Luthor, I understand." She heard the click that signaled the phone being put down and stood, making her way downstairs.

"Dad?" She queried, stepping into the living room to find her father pacing in the middle of the room. "Is something wrong?"

"Chloe," He turned, smiling at her. "No, I've got to head out of town honey. Emergency meeting." He explained.

"Oh." She blinked. "It just sounded more serious than that."

Gabe smiled wryly as she freely confessed to snooping, but shook his head nonetheless. "No, it's just that I don't feel comfortable leaving you two home alone like this. I was thinking of making an arrangement with the Kent's. They called here the other day looking for you."

"Really?" She asked, surprised. "What did they say?"

The older man shrugged cluelessly. "Just asked you to call them back. They left a message." He spoke, giving her a look as she displayed her obliviousness.

The blonde flushed, scuffing the carpet with her foot. "I've been busy with the Torch, dad. I figured if Clark wanted to talk to me then we could do it in school." She defended herself.

Laughing to himself, Gabe ruffled her hair with a hand and replied. "Sure honey. Anyway, I was wandering if you could stay with the Kent's for a few days."

Chloe grimaced, shaking her head. "What about Lana, dad?"

"I've already talked to her and she doesn't mind going to her Aunt's for the weekend. She could do with some time away from Smallville anyway." He smiled at the brunette's earlier words, no doubt amused at the tales that she so frequently told. She cringed as she imagined his reaction were he to find out that a lot of the things he heard were actually true. "So, is that alright?" He queried once more.

She sighed and nodded, acknowledging his point. "Yeah, if it's alright with them. I'll ask them myself." She anticipated his question before he even spoke, rolling her eyes.

Beaming, her father practically skipped over to the kitchen. "Thanks, Chlo-bear!"

Sometimes her father acted like a total child, and other's he fretted over nothing. In spite of that, she knew that in the long run he wouldn't foist her off on someone else without notice unless it was really important.

She picked up the phone, waiting through the ringing until, after nearly a minute, someone finally picked up. "Hello?" She spoke, blinking.

_"Hello, who is this?"_

She recognized the voice and grinned. "You know who, you doof." She chuckled.

_"Chloe, how are you?" _Clark replied warmly.

She guessed that having sorted out his family issues he had adopter a forgive-and-forget approach for the past month or so and decided to oblige and do the same. "Fine. Listen, I need you to do me a favour, can you put Mr. Kent on?"

There was a moment of silence, and then; _"Hello?"_ A lower voice answered.

"Hi Mr. Kent." She greeted, nervously wringing the wire of the phone with a finger.

_"Chloe, Clark didn't tell me that it was you. How are you?" _He asked her, decidedly warmer now that he knew who it was.

"I'm fine. Listen, I know it's ohn short notice and all, but could I stay over for a couple of days? My dad's heading out of town and Lana's going to stay with her Aunt and I _really _don't want to have to go there as well..."

_"That's fine. You're welcome to stay here for a few days. Just don't forget your toothbrush." _He joked. She let out a breathe at the response that she hadn't even noticed she'd been holding. _"When can we expect you?"_

She pursed her lips and though about the time right now. "In a couple of hours or so, if that's okay?"

Another moment of silence, and then; _"That's fine, Chloe. We'll see you soon."_

"Thanks. Bye." She hung up the receiver and went back upstairs to pack her stuff, thinking as she did so.

The Kent's had always been a little wary of her. They hadn't treated her badly and Martha Kent even seemed fond of her at times, but hearing his voice now, it seemed as though Mr. Kent had suddenly decided to switch paces completely. She wondered just what Clark had told them.

* * *

Pulling up the dirt road leading to their house, Chloe noticed Martha and Clark standing outside and smiled at them, getting out to greet them. "Hey." She nodded at Clark, earning a surprisingly happy smile in return. "How's it been?" She queried for lack of another response, pulling her stuff out of the trunk.

"Great." The dark-haired youth responded, reaching in without prompting and taking most of her things. "I'll put these in your room."

Martha stepped up to her, handing her a key which she took with a look of surprise. "In case we're not in." The older woman explained. "Your room is upstairs, opposite Clark's. We've had it all made up so you just have to put your things out."

"Thanks, Mrs. Kent. I know that it's sudden, so if you ever need anything I'll be glad to earn my keep." She quirked her lips nervously, blushing slightly at the resounding laugh that earned from inside the doorway.

Jonathan walked down the porch steps, still chuckling at her words. "Thank you, Chloe. But somehow, I doubt that you'll want to milk the cows or feed the horses." He smirked.

Her blush deepened slightly as she nodded. She didn't know the first thing about farming and wasn't even going to pretend to. "I'll try if you need me to." She tried, earning another laugh.

"No thank you. You just try not to use all the hot water and we'll be happy." He said warmly.

Chloe waited until Clark was outside and then dragged him up to the loft. "So what's been going on? Your folks don't seem nearly as... Stressed." She got that they were happy that he was home, but surely they hadn't just forgotten the debts they owed.

Thankfully Clark seemed to get what she meant without her having to speak, saving her the trouble of being rude. "Lex bought out our debts." He explained further at her look of surprise. "I know, I didn't expect it. Apparently Lionel found it in his office and decided to go through with it. He bought it out at a very generous rate. Dad's not happy about it either, but it's only for a few months." He shrugged. "Guess even evil has a decent side.

She wasn't sure how to respond to that, so she didn't, changing the subject. "So, any plans for the weekend?"

"I was hoping to apologize to Lana and Pete, but she's in Metropolis with her aunt and Pete's going fishing with his older brother?"

"Which one?"

"The oldest." He smirked at her and they simultaneously rolled their eyes. Pete had about four brothers, so he was dragged off on family outings on a frequent basis. "So, I guess I'm not doing anything." He shrugged.

Chloe hm'ed and looked out at the sunset, taking in the brilliant red hue painting the sky. Once more she pulled herself away from the question she wanted to ask; That of how, exactly, he was affected by the red meteor rock, and decided to stay on safer ground. "Okay, we could get the bus to Metropolis and go and see Lana. I mean, I'd offer my car, but the tank's nearly empty." She gave him an apologetic look.

"That's fine. I don't think that'd be such a good idea, anyway." He said softly, and she winced as she realized that he probably didn't want to be anywhere near Metropolis right now. "We could go and see the football on Saturday!" She winced again.

"I..." She dearly wanted to say 'Football sucks', but seeing him light up like that managed to change her mind for her. "Sure." She agreed.

"Great!" He grinned widely, earning a reluctant smile from her as well. Even though he towered over her, whenever Clark was happy he always seemed like a kid in a candy store; Adorable, and naive. She knew, however, that he was smarter than he looked. (No offence to him, but most guys generally couldn't have both brawn and brain, and he had them in spades.)

"So, do you need to apply for Smallville high again?" She queried, looking up at him.

Clark shook his head, returning her gaze. "No, because I've only been gone for a week and don't have any marks on my record principal Reynolds gave me the chance to make up for the week off. I've gotta do all of the week's homework and catch up though." He grimaced.

"Looks like we know what you'll be doing all of Sunday." She teased, giggling at his look of discomfort.

"Unfortunately." He mumbled, receiving a full-blown laugh from the petite blonde. "How about you?" He deflected.

"I've gotta apply for an internship at the Daily Planet."

"I could help you with that." He offered.

She scoffed. "After last year? No thanks." She said, referring to his forgetfulness at the end of their second semester at Smallville high.

He flinched at the memory and offered her a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that."

Laughing once more, she turned her gaze to the scenery.

The two stared out at the sunset, watching as the sky faded to orange, growing a duller gray colour as time wore on. Before long Martha called them in for dinner and, with a small smile, Chloe followed Clark as he bounded out the barn into the house.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.

**Chapter three:**

* * *

Chloe cringed as one of the figures running the field was sent flying through the air, but cheered nonetheless as the Crows scored another point. Next to her Clark hollered as the linebacker got to his feet, stumbling towards his teammates. Even with all the padding she couldn't help but imagine that that had to _hurt._

"Chloe, are you alright?" Evidently she hadn't been as subtle as she thought, as Clark was currently staring at her quizzically.

"I'm fine. Just... Enjoying the game!" She lied.

He squinted at her, blue eyes narrowed. "No, you're not, are you?" He queried, pouting. "Are you bored?"

"Okay, so I'm not much of a football fan." She caught one of the Crow players being bowled over out of the corner of her eye and thanked god that Pete wasn't playing today; He tried so hard, but the fact of the matter was that he kinda sucked. "Still, it's only another forty, forty-five minutes, I can handle it." She assured him.

"If you're sure." He nodded, turning back to the game.

She quirked her lips as she watched him immediately get sucked into the game, cheering loudly. She knew that he loved football but she hadn't realised just how much; It was a wonder that he didn't play himself. He was definitely built for it.

She sneaked a glimpse of his abs as he stood to cheer, locking onto the defined muscle and brightening. At least the day wasn't a total waste.

"I'll go grab some drinks." She offered, standing to maneuver through the stands. She smirked as he didn't respond, focused on the game.

She was careful to avoid pushing anyone, not wanting to accidentally put someone in hospital. She had gotten good enough with controlling her powers that she was comfortable using them subtly in public, but every now and then something would happen to prove that she still had a ways to go. She grabbed two sodas, glancing around to ensure that no-one was watching, and then used her speed to shake one of them.

The blonde made her way back to her place in the stands, pleased to see that Clark had saved her spot. (Though not enough to stop what she was about to do.) "Hey." She greeted. "I got these." She handed him the shaken can, hiding her humour and carefully remaining neutral.

"Thanks Chloe." He replied, taking the can and not noticing how she subtly shifted away. He popped the tab, eyes widening almost comically a split second before fizzy liquid sprayed out in a conical arc, blasting him directly in the face and torso.

For a moment he was silent, the sound of the game and roars of laughter surrounding him.

The blonde cracked up, laughter shakes wracking her form. "O-oh, your- your face!" She spluttered, taking another glance at his face and then exploding in renewed humour. "Oh my god." She gasped, holding her sides. "So worth it."

She hadn't thought that it would have quite such force behind it, but staring at his hair stuck to his forehead and flat gaze, she couldn't bring herself to regret it.

"Why?" He asked her, the reason behind the question obvious to even a blind man.

"I'm sorry." She lied, looking up at him through her fringe. "I didn't think it'd be so... Strong."

He dropped the now-crushed can and glared at her as she slowly quieted, wiping a tear from her eyes. "Funny." He grunted.

She resisted the urge to burst out laughing once more and instead simply watched as he wiped at his soaking hair with his jacket, vainly trying to get rid of the excess liquid in his hair. For a moment the blonde simply stared as he raised the red jacket, but her eyes darted downwards when she realized that he wasn't looking and _'Oh muscles.'_ She consciously licked her lips, eyeing his torso like a starving animal.

As he brushed away at the dank hair hanging irritatingly in his face, Chloe enjoyed the view, the way his muscular torso twisted and contorted the clingy shirt and feeling the warmth spread to her cheeks.

Not just her cheeks, actually. Her eyes were starting to water as though she had just gotten pepper in them, the shirt steaming slightly as she looked on.

Alarmed, she spun her head away from the gorgeous view, exhaling sharply as she felt intense pressure in her head. Across the field one of the tannoy systems overlooking the field shorted out, sparks flying sharply from the speaker, metal groaning against some unknown force.

Chloe slammed her eyes shut, breathing heavily and shaking slightly. She covered her reaction by wiping at her sleeve, spots of lemonade decorating the material from his "accident". _'What the hell was that?'_

"I'm gonna need to get a new shirt." Clark whined, tugging at the blue fabric.

Cutting him off before he could accidentally make her cause any more damage, Chloe hastily pulled his arm from his shirt, swallowing her instant urge to freak out. "Maybe I should go and get you one." She nodded, faking a smile.

"No, don't worry about it, I'll-" The blonde was already gone, rushing through the crowd to reach the nearest exit.

* * *

Chloe sat in the middle of one of Smallville's fields. The area was one of the few that hadn't grown back after the meteor shower struck, and as such she could just sit here without fear of hurting innocent people or starting any fires.

Her mind raced as she thought back to earlier that day; The pressure behind her eyes, the speaker bursting into sparks, Clark's shirt, steaming, so close to burning her best friend.

She shuddered, ducking her head into her arms and sobbing. It had never been so clear just how _freakish _she was. Insane strength and speed, invincibility and now _laser eyes. _She couldn't stop her evolution and she had no idea what she was turning into.

What if other powers emerged? What if she blew softly and flash-froze someone? What if she got mad and someone's head exploded? There were so many things that could happen, so many things that could go _wrong._

AS it was, she only vaguely knew how to activate and stop this new power; Something to do with excitement or arousal, maybe even humour. If that was the case then she was going to have to deal with living her life worrying that as soon as she got even remotely excited or interested in anyone that she ran the risk of frying them.

She let out a shaky breathe, getting to her feet as she acknowledged that if she didn't get control of this power then she _would _have to leave. She couldn't do this now; She had to focus.

Staring at the ground, she remembered laughing at Clark, watching as he wrung out his hair and scowled at her. Nothing happened. She smiled slightly as she realized that it wasn't keyed into her happiness, that she could probably be around other people without fear.

Her mind went on, picturing his wet shirt, clinging to him in ways that left little to the imagination, her eyes gleaming as she absently licked her lips...

Abruptly she faced up, green-gold orbs widening as a sudden burst of pressure struck her, leaving her groaning as she fired twin beams into the air, almost visible to the naked eye with the sheer _heat _they emitted.

* * *

_"And in local news, there have been strange weather cycles affecting the Smallville-Metropolis skyline; Reports are in that at one point in the day the skies suddenly cleared as though swept aside, only for rain to later take their place. Scientists theorize that some form of prolonged heat flare may have impacted, causing an imbalance in the atmospheric pressure that caused a convergence on a specific point, creating a vacuu-"_

Chloe flinched as she walked by the door, staring at the TV as her father flipped channels over, uninterested in the weather. Gabe Sullivan worked as the manager of the Smallville fertilizer plant, and he drove to get there, so naturally he wouldn't be remotely interested in "atmospheric changes". She momentarily debated bringing up her new ability with him, but ultimately decided against it. It didn't really matter; She had control of it and didn't plan on using it again.

"Hi, dad." She greeted him with a hug.

Smiling, Gabe returned the gesture. "Hi, pumpkin, how was the weekend?" He queried.

"Great. We went to see the Crow's match and I spend the whole of yesterday just writing up the next Torch article. Shame Clark couldn't join me." She faux-lamented, huffing to add to the effect. "I even got my internship at the Planet, they remembered my work from last year!" She grinned.

"I see." He nodded, though he clearly didn't. Originally she had privately thought that she had gotten her curiosity and persistence from her mother, though now she didn't know what to think.

"Dad, when you found me..." Gabe stiffened, as he always did when she bought up her "arrival". "...Did you find anything with me?" She asked hopefully.

Sighing, her father shook his head. "No, Chlo-bear. When we found you lying in that crater, we didn't see anything but this." He rubbed her wrist, indicating the shining metal bracelet that she had chosen to wear more often. "I hope you haven't been stuck on this the whole weekend." He spoke concernedly.

The blonde shook her head, frowning. "No, just since yesterday." She lied, downtrodden.

"Oh Chloe." Her father wrapped an arm around her, pursing his lips. "Honey, I know that this is difficult for you, but just remember that you are my daughter and I'm proud of you, okay?"

Despite herself Chloe felt her lips quirk up in response. "Thanks dad." She said softly.

"No problem, now why don't you head up to bed? It's a school day tomorrow." He gave her a shrewd look.

Chloe rolled her eyes, nonetheless turning to make her way up the stairs.

As she sat on her bed, staring out the window and watching the rain tap against the glass she felt a shiver run up her spine. Within three weeks she had gained super strength, speed, invulnerability and heat vision. The problem being that she had no clue what affected her powers. For all she knew if she got too emotional anything could happen.

While it was doubtful that she would _actually _develop a ridiculous ability like telekinesis (Though that would be awesome) or super-breathe, she couldn't discount the possibility that it might happen; If it did, what could she do? Super-speed in the middle of class would definitely draw more than a few glances, and if she stayed and accidentally chewed her way through a desk or something else completely insane happened then she would probably be shipped off to Summerholt or Belle Reave faster than even she could blink.

She was thankful that she would have a while in Metropolis to herself to practice and improve while she was working at the Daily Planet, away from the prying eyes of her friends. They wouldn't expect her to be in a field if she wasn't even in the same area, after all.

She briefly entertained the thought of her cousin actually coming to see her like she promised (Read: Threatened) so often, and her reaction when she lifted one of those monster trucks she so loved directly over her head, and snickered. Still, she realized that she had to keep her powers a secret, and staying in Metropolis at least she wouldn't have to worry about Lana walking in on her doing something supernatural without even thinking about it.

That was still over a week away though, ergo she still had to deal with being Lana's roommate and hanging out with Clark and Pete, and she couldn't wait to see the shorter boy's face when he realized that Clark was back. Maybe Lana would also forgive him for whatever he had done; The two hadn't really been talking, and every time they were in the same room Lana always ignored him.

Hopefully all would be well and nothing would complicate things.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.

**Chapter four:**

* * *

Chloe huffed as she made her way to her room. For the duration of her internship she had been renting a small one-bedroom apartment, and although she would deny it profusely to anyone who asked, she actually... Kinda _missed _Smallville. The Podunk town was charming in it's own way, even with all the annoying jocks, small-town gossip, farming community and vapid airheads that comprised much of the school's population.

The past eight weeks had been some of the most grinding days of her life; Between her internship at the Planet, nosy cousins and a paranoid father it had been stressful to say the least.

Nonetheless she had persevered, surviving both her work load, lack of company and the big city with a smile on her face.

Just earlier in the day she had cleared out her desk, boxing her belongings in preparation for the trip back to Smallville.

She was a little upset about the lack of communication with her friends though; Clark called her every other week, Lana had only called her the once; The only actual contact she had had was with Pete, who visited occasionally during the weekends.

The blonde didn't blame them for the lack of contact; Clark and his parents were dealing with financial stress and Lana had the Talon, her horses and deliveries to be collected. Even Pete had been busy working with his mom. (Though that was just reading book after book and collecting coffee for lawyers. At least according to his frequent complaints over the phone.)

She had handed in her final article to her editor, Max Taylor, and was in the process of gathering all of her things for the dash back to Smallville when the room had erupted into chaos; Apparently Lex Luthor was alive.

Lionel Luthor hadn't bothered her much over the past few weeks, seemingly forgetting the petite blonde in the wake of his son going missing; She absently wondered how the billionaire had taken the news, or if, even, he was responsible for his son's "disappearance" in any way.

She was glad that she had gotten out before she got in; In her distress over Clark's dishonesty she hadn't considered the fact that not only was the older man her father's boss, but also that many people on the Daily Planet staff actively despised him, ergo being endorsed by him might not have been in her best interests in the long run.

A small part of her felt guilty at the slightly selfish thoughts, but even so she had to concede that when she had gone to him she hadn't been smart about things and that choosing to ignore her stupidity at the time wasn't a wise decision. People like Lionel Luthor didn't just let you renege on a deal when you wanted to; they held on tight and didn't let go.

She stood with her suitcase in one hand and a pair of bags in the other, staring around the small, spartan accommodation for a brief moment before disappearing in a blur.

* * *

"I don't get it." Chloe confessed, staring down at the set of papers thrust before her.

"Chloe..." Gabe sighed, watching as the blonde read the contract he had presented to her. "Business in Smallville is drying up; We've got loans, mortgages, repairs and bills to pay, and I've been given an offer that I can't pass up. It's just for a few months."

Shaking her head, Chloe frowned at her father. "I get home from Metropolis and you leave right away. I get it," She cut across his rebuttal, sighing. "I just don't like it is all."

"I'll be back before you know it." He said warmly, smiling gently. "I know that you can take care of yourself, and I won't be gone all the time; I'll come see you on the weekends when I can. And you can come visit!"

"Okay." She groaned, huffing. "I just don't like it." She repeated.

Gabe shrugged half-heartedly. "Why don't you go see your friends Chlo-bear. I'm sure Clark and Lana will be happy to see you."

She nodded resignedly. "Is Lana still staying here?" She queried.

"No, last I heard she's converted the apartment above the Talon. At least you won't have to worry about missing out on any caffeine intake opportunities." He spoke dryly, chuckling at her abashed expression.

"That's something." She rolled her eyes. "I'll see you later dad."

His response was cut off as the door closed, her attention drawn to the person standing on the other side. "Clark?"

The farmboy smiled nervously. "Hi Chloe." He greeted, awkwardly shuffling as he thought of what to say. "How was Metropolis?"

"Great." She manoeuvred around the youth with a grin, chuckling as she walked down her drive and the sidewalk. "My dad's moving." She huffed.

"What?" He asked, flabbergasted. "You're moving!?"

"Not me. Dad." She grunted, dropping her grin. "Apparently he's gonna be going to Gotham for two months and then back to Metropolis for another two."

Clark blinked, eyeing her in confusion. "But where are you staying?" He queried.

"I'm not going anywhere, Clark. I'll just stay on my own. Lana's staying at the Talon now." She explained at his look.

Looking uncertain, Clark pursed his lips. "Are you sure that's safe? Smallville isn't exactly the safest town out there."

Part of her ruminated that usually those words in conjecture with a town like Smallville would sound ridiculous; Unfortunately they weren't, and she acknowledged that. "I'll be fine."

"If you're sure." He spoke doubtfully.

"I am." She rebutted, absently stopping outside the Talon and allowing someone to exit before heading in. "And on that note, any idea what Pete's up too?"

"No, he's around somewhere. I think he told me that he's going fishing with his older brother and his dad."

Chloe bit her lower lip, furrowing her brow in thought. "Right, he's been out a lot this past week. How about you, how's the farm been going?"

"Alright. Lex bailed us out."

She turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "You don't sound too happy about that." She noted.

Clark hesitated, looking conflicted. "It's just... He was gone for three months, and all of a sudden he reappears and does this. Why?"

"Well, he _is _your friend." She pointed out, shaking her head. "Maybe you have a bigger impact on him than you thought."

"Yeah..." Turning, the plaid-clad teen turned, attention drawn elsewhere.

She rolled her eyes, stifling a smile at his obvious tells. "Hey, Lana." She spoke before she had even spotted the brunette.

"Hi, Chloe." The soft-spoken girl replied, offering a gentle smile. "How was Metropolis?"

"Fantastic. I really learned the ropes at the Planet, even got to run a few of the stories!" None of which broke page 28, but she didn't need to know that.

"I think I read a couple of those." Clark grinned down at her. "The one on page 28 about the wildlife preserves was cool.

Goddamnit Clark. "Yeah. Riveting." She drolled. "Since when do you read the newspaper?" Beside her Chloe could see Lana trying to suppress a smile.

"Anyway," Studiously ignoring her last remark, the farmboy turned to the smaller of the two girls. "How's it going?"

"Great. Now that Lex is back it seems like there's a lot more business. Though I haven't seen him around since he told me he was back."

"I imagine he's wresting control of his company from his father." Chloe intoned. "My dad mentioned it earlier;; It's why he's gotta go stay in Gotham for a couple of months."

"Really?" Lana frowned, furrowing her brow. "Where are you staying?"

Chloe smiled and waved off the other girl's concern. "I'll be fine on my own. At least I can hog the front-room for Torch stuff."

Both the other teens gave her a look of amusement, prompting a grin from the blonde.

"I gotta say, I'm kinda looking forward to being back to school. I know," She started, taking the other's bemused gazes. "Class is boring and it's time consuming, but I still have to say it."

"I guess." Clark spoke up doubtfully.

Raising an eyebrow, the colourful petite girl shook her head at his attitude. "Come on, I know you're a teacher's pet." Lana softly giggled at her words, earning a pout from him. "And I know you love maths and P.E., Mr. Kent." She gave a look of distaste at the words, as though they were some sort of foul curse.

"I like sport." He defended, though he couldn't come up with an excuse for his fondness for maths.

"Oh yeah, maybe you'll finally get on the football team. You and Pete can be tackle dummies!" She said brightly, resisting the urge to laugh at his downtrodden kicked-puppy stare."Come on, You know I'm kidding!"

"Yeah." He huffed childishly.

Lana drew their attention back by clearing her throat. "So, when's Mr. Sullivan going?"

Chloe quirked her lips in thought. "Not a clue, some point during the week I guess. I was a little upset so I left before he could tell me." She looked away regretfully. "I'll ask him when I get back. Maybe I'll even visit Gotham with him before school starts."

"I can't keep up with all this jet-setting you're up to." Clark crossed his arms, giving her a stern look, though it was slightly ruined by the puppy dog eyes he gave at the exact same time.

"You know I'm not gonna stay gone. I'd invite you along but..." She shrugged whimsically.

"But your dad probably won't foot the bill for your ticket, let alone mine." He finished with a smile.

The blonde clicked her fingers in mock-consternation. "Oh darn, we could have visited the museums and Lana and I coulda gone clothes shopping." She bit her lip at the other girl's contemplative look. "But yeah, I'm a little worried. Have you seen the crime rates for that city? It's insane."

"Is it that bad?" Lana queried, tilting her head.

Chloe sighed, shrugging lackadaisically. "Bank robberies and breaking and entering mostly, and even then it's generally on people a bit beyond my dad's pay-grade."

"So will he be alright?" Clark piped up.

"He'll be fine. He's a grown man and I hardly think Gabe Sullivan is prime robbery material. And he's not stupid enough to walk the streets at night." She breathed out a huff of air, acting set-upon. "I think the biggest danger'll be me, when he doesn't stop calling."

Grinning, Clark watched as one of the usual waitresses handed her her order. "That and your cappuccino dependency." He jabbed, vaguely wondering when she had actually ordered.


End file.
